Pretending
by MeaninglessMayhem
Summary: Link never like to think, much less think about himself. All he could do was pretend. Pretend the fate of the world didn't depend on him. Unfortunately, thoughts never leave. (Oneshot) Set during Breath of the Wild. Link-central. Other characters are only mentioned. Rated T because of paranoia and writing about self-loathing. (Short and probably cringey writing)


_Hello there! MeaninglessMayhem here! This is my first time writing anything for this site, so constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Also, this is a one-shot so it may be pretty short._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

The bright sun shined across the land, complimenting the soft hues of blue in the sky. Songbirds chirped in a sort of harmony with each other, and the sound of the grass rustling in the light breeze was something anyone could relax to. Needless to say, Link, in that peaceful field of serenity, was content. He loved to just _listen_ to all the natural forces of the world and laze about. He loved that he was able to just lie down and not _think_. But of course, he always had the _best_ of luck.

 _Why are you stalling?_

A single thought slipped into his mind. It resonated and echoed in his head. _Why are you stalling?_ Link sighed and sat up. _Why_ am _I stalling?_ He asked himself. Why was he stalling to go and fight Calamity Ganon? He defeated each of the Blights, reactivated the Divine Beasts, and freed the Champions' spirits from their captivity. He climbed all the towers and filled the Sheikah Slate's map entirely. He visited all 120 shrines all around Hyrule. He recovered all his memories. Heck, he did all the favors he could in all the towns he visited AND even managed to fill in the ENTIRE Hyrule Compendium with the exception of three slots. He was _clearly_ prepared. Maybe even _overprepared_. But why wait?

Link sighed again. This contemplation would get him nowhere. He already knew the reason.

 _Because you failed to do the one thing you were supposed to do a century ago._

Oh, he knew it all right, and he knew the consequences of his actions. He threatened the whole _god damn_ kingdom! Not only that, but he let all those people _die_ out there 100 years ago. All of Hyrule was counting on him to fulfill his destiny, but he _failed_. There was no saying that he could fail again and for real this time.

It was hilarious, he mused, that he was the only one of the Champions to survive. It just _had_ to be him. Anyone of the other Champions would have done a better job than him. Actually, they already did do a better job. So much better.

 _Until you let them die._

If only he wasn't the one to live. If only he was the only one to die. If only someone else that was actually capable wielded the Master Sword. If only he was out of the picture.

If only he battled the Calamity right after it emerged. If only he trained harder. If only he got Zel— _Princess_ Zelda to Kakariko Village fast enough. If only he was good enough.

Why was it _him_ out of all of them to be resurrected? Fate _had to_ pick the most _incompetent_ out of the group. Urbosa was strong, kind, brave, Daruk as well, Mipha was loving, caring, yet determined, even Revali was better as he was skilled, exact, and confident. Not to mention the princess. She has been waiting forever for him. He kept her waiting for generations. She has been all alone, fighting head-on with Ganon, yet what was Link doing? Sleeping of course. Pathetic.

And what about all the communities the other Champions lived in? They all lost important figures in their society. What if they never recover from that loss? What if they fell apart internally? It would be his fault. It is all his fault.

Link felt wetness on his cheeks. Surprised, he wiped them with his hand. He hadn't realized he had started crying.

 _A hero shouldn't cry._

But what kind of _hero_ was he? He never deserved the title of "hero" or "Champion". Why did people insist on calling him so?

 _"Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you. All because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sw_ _ord on your back. I mean... it's just asinine."_

Link chuckled. It was funny. Revali was right. Right about everything, actually. The sword picked an incompetent fool. He shouldn't have been the one to lead the charge. Look where that got everybody.

Link plopped on his back again. _Can spirits read people's minds?_ He wondered absently. _If that's the case, maybe it's better that the Champions are spirits. They could fully know how useless I am._

He closed his eyes and listened. _Calm down._ Birds singing in a sweet melody. The light breeze blowing the grass. The buzz of bugs and the rustle of little critters. _Calm down._ Link loved to listen and not think. He loved to pretend that everything was fine and the world wasn't at the brink of destruction. _Calm down._

Pretending...

If only his imagination was a reality.

* * *

 _Thank you so much for reading! I know it was kinda short and probably cringey, but I hope you enjoyed! (When I write something, usually afterward, I read it and don't like it, and this was no different. ;-;) Please give constructive criticism! (Also, I may want to write an actual fanfiction with multiple chapters, so you can also give suggestions and prompts... idk)_

 _Thank you!_


End file.
